Hundreds of British soldiers, part of the British Expeditionary Force sent to support the Greek army in repelling the German invasion, found themselves trapped after the fall of Greece, desperately seeking a way to escape and survive. Many were captured by German forces and imprisoned at the “Pavlos Melas” camp in Thessaloniki.
It is estimated that around 4,000 British soldiers managed to hide and eventually flee to the Middle East, thanks to the help of Greek patriots. This operation is considered one of the first significant acts of resistance by ordinary Greeks against the occupiers.
Yet many British soldiers, unable to make contact with resistance networks, wandered alone through cities and villages. These men were tracked down by the German Military Police—often with the assistance of Greek collaborators—and imprisoned in the harsh POW camps established by the occupying forces. The most notorious of these was the “Pavlos Melas” camp, with a dedicated labor camp, Dulag 183, set up alongside it to detain captured British servicemen.
(Source: “Faros tou Thermaikou,” edited by Spyros Kouzinopoulos)